Singapore Tightens Rules for Foreign Workers’ Families

Singapore is imposing stricter rules
for families of foreigners working in the city-state and
tightening its immigration policies after public disquiet over
the influx of workers from overseas.

From Sept. 1, foreign workers must earn at least S$4,000
($3,150) a month compared with the current S$2,800 to sponsor
their spouses and children for their stay in Singapore,
according to a notice on the manpower ministry’s website. Some
workers will also no longer be able to bring their parents and
in-laws on long-term visit passes.

Singapore’s companies added 27,200 jobs, fewer than
initially estimated, in the three months through March amid
stricter labor regulations and weaker global demand. Public
anger over immigration policies and the rising wealth gap
contributed to the ruling party’s worst performance since
independence in last year’s general election.

The planned changes are “part of the overall direction to
moderate growth of Singapore’s non-resident population,” the
ministry said in a statement on its website. “This will help
ease the pressure on our social infrastructure. Nonetheless,
Singapore remains a global talent capital.”

Foreign workers whose families are already in Singapore
won’t be affected, according to the statement. Those who switch
companies after Sept. 1 will be subject to the new rules
because any change in employer is considered a new application.

Under Pressure

The government is under pressure to placate voters without
disrupting the arrival of talent and labor that helped build the
only advanced economy in Southeast Asia. Public discontent
surged when the strain on the rail system caused its worst
breakdown in December and high property prices boosted inflation.

“The key criterion in assessing the level of dependent
privileges for a work pass holder is based on his economic
contribution and whether he can finance his dependents’ stay in
Singapore,” the manpower ministry said in the statement.

The city yesterday also tabled changes in Parliament to its
immigration act. Under the proposed amendments, permanent
residents who flout the city’s laws or are involved in any
activity which “threatens a breach of peace or is prejudicial
to public order” will lose their permanent residency status or
have their re-entry permit canceled.

Singapore also plans to criminalize marriages of
convenience to obtain immigration privileges and the forgery of
immigration documents, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a
statement posted on its website yesterday. The last major
amendment to the immigration act was in 2004.

The proposed penalty for sham marriages includes a fine of
as much as S$10,000 and a jail term of as long as 10 years.
Forgery of documents may be punishable with a fine of as much as
S$8,000 and a jail term of as long as five years, according to
the statement.

The proposed amendments will allow the immigration
authority to “stay ahead of the changing modus operandi of
immigration offenders” and facilitate the legal entry of bona
fide foreigners, the ministry said.